Slab flooring



0a. 24, 1939. T, BARBA, 2,1 '17,238

SLAIB FLOORING Filed Oct. 11, 1938 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENI'OR.

yoooe bwa/Uro ATTORNEY.

Oct. 24, 1939. T. BARBATO SLAB FLOORING Filed oct. 11, 1938 ZSheetfs-Sheet 2 INVENTOR THEoDolaE BAaeATo BY ATTORNEY.

Patented Oct. 24, 1939 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE SLAB FLOORING Theodore Barbato, White Plains, N. Y.

Application October 11, 1938, Serial No. 234,355

8 Claims.

The present invention relates to slab floorings in which precast tiles, blocks or units of concrete or other material are set together as a succession or continuity `of arches across the bays or spaces '5 formed by an Vopen-Work of girders, joists or other beams; the beams being ordinarily arranged in parallel at distances apart of the order of thirty inches, and the arches, each consisting o-f two E or more blocks or units, being ordinarily set at l right angles to the beams.

In a flooring of this character, the beams, whether known as junior girders, ,ioists, or otherwise, ordinarily have the general cross section of an I beam, and the lower crosses or flanges of 15 the beams are used as end-supports for the arches.' Those end-faces of the blocks or units which abut the beams are commonly slotted to receive the lower flanges of the beams, and the opposite end-faces of the units oppose each other,

2g with a space between the same into which concrete is poured or tamped, to unite the blocks of the arch, and to make a unitary structure thereof.

Such a construction, in the making thereof, has involved the temporary use of boards laid par- 25 allel with the beams, for supporting the opposed ends of the arch units until the concrete has so set or hardened as to form an effective binder. Until the concrete has so set or hardened, it has not heretofore been possible for Workmen, en-

3() gaged on other installations, to use the flooring; and inconvenient and expensive delays in the construction of the building above the ooring have been thereby incurred.

Furthermore, the necessity of maintaining in 33 place a wooden or other temporary structure, during the time required for setting of the concrete, involves the use of further and extensive temporary framework, if the work of laying the arches is to be continued uninterruptedly; and thus the 40 cost of such temporary structures may assume oppressive figures, not only as to the structure itself, but because of the obstruction offered by it to the installation of pipe lines and other equipment and iinishings below such temporarily sup- 45 ported flooring.

An object of the invention is a means and method whereby expeditiously and economically to lock together the arch units, as fast as they are laid, with sulcient strength and rigidity to 50 permit the use of the same as a flooring for workmen, and to permit removal of the temporary supporting structure as soon as the units are so locked, before or immediately after the concrete has been poured or tamped, and without Waiting 55 for the concrete to set or harden, f

In this connection, a feature of the invention is that it permits of quick, progressive use and shifting of a temporary supporting framework of small area, and of correspondingly small cost; and which by reason of its small area and per- 5 missibly quick removal, presents little or no obstruction to installations below the flooring.

In the embodiment of the invention, hereinafter described, the opposed faces of the units which go to make up an arch are inclined upwardly and l0 outwardly from one another; and, for locking such units, for the purposes just mentioned, one or more Wedges of Wood or other material are driven down into the apertures formed by these inclined opposed faces. These wedges not only bind the-units to one another, but by exerting a force which tends to spread the units apart, press the same laterally into firm contact with the beams.

There may be one or more of these wedges between two opposing units; and one wedge may be positioned to serve the units of two adjoining arches. Often the units of one arch are staggered with respect to those of the adjoining arch, and the real line of the arch may not be at right angles to the beams, but at an incline thereto. These, and other, features or pattern of the units may affect the number and positioning of the wedges. Inclines other than those hereinafter described, and vin other positions on the units, may be provided for cooperation with the wedges.

An object of the inventionis a shaping and positioning of the arch tiles or units such that the opposed faces of two tiles in the same arch together form, from the tops of the tiles down- 35 ward, a trough of width enough to receive a ll of wet and unset concrete in mass sufficient, after due allowance for absorption of water therefrom by the tiles, to form a durable concrete block or element in each arch, bonding such opposed tiles, and providing the compression strength of concrete against the collapse of the arch.

Itis a further object of the invention to provide a slab structure in which such troughs in successive parallel arches are in alignment and communicate with one another, so that the concrete poured and set in the same will form a system of concrete beams alternated with the beams which support the ends of the arches, and extending through the system of arches. In this connection, it is a feature of the invention that when the arches are covered by a layer of concrete, the latterV may be monolithic with such concrete beams, to form a system of interconnected T shaped concrete beams.

ing and stress resisting elements.

I am aware that wedges, broadly, have heretofore been employed for interlockment of arch units, and also that concrete has been poured or tamped into joints between arch units. In the prior art, however, the arch units have not been so shaped and set with respect to one another as to provide true concrete bonding blocks or beams. The concrete has ordinarily been intended as a mere fill to close joints. When otherwise intended, the fills have been so thin, due to the shapev and setting of the tiles, that absorption of water therefrom by the tiles during the drying of the concrete has left the same without value as bond- As heretofore designed, such lls have added little or no strength to the arch, either as re-inforcernents of" the wedges, or otherwise; and for this reason have commonly failed.

A feature of the invention, in one embodiment thereof, is the provision of means on the opposed faces of the arch units for preventing escape of concrete through the bottom of the arch.

Another feature of the invention, in a preferred form thereof, is a shaping of the faces of the units at the beams, such that clearance is allowed for pouring and tamping of concrete under the upper flanges of the beams and down to the lower flanges thereof, sufficient to effect a continuous concrete tie of the tile to the beam from the lower flange of the latter to the surface of theflooring, and to make of the whole a reinforced concrete beam.

Heretofore in floorings composed of both tile and concrete units, or of units of different materials, the under surface of such flooring has commonly shown a pattern of the dissimilar materials; and when such under surface has been employed as a ceiling, plastered or otherwise finished, such pattern, although temperarily concealed, ultimately pictures itself in the plaster or finish by discolorations appearing as stripes or blocks therein, particularly if the latter is of light color or is thin. This picturing of the pattern is supposedly due to uneven action of light on the areas of plaster or finish under the different fioor materials, in turn due to the' different densities of the materials as respects penetration by light, and to .differences in light' absorption, reflection and refraction.

An object of the present invention is a flooring, the under surface of which presents a continuous, all-tile, or one-material ceiling surface precluding impairment of any plaster or finish thereon, suchas might otherwise result from the light effects just mentioned.

The above andother objects and features of the invention will hereinafter more fully appear upon reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a plan View of a piece of flooring embodying the present invention, and in which there is shown a surfacing of concrete or other material overlying the arch units; in part broken away, more clearly to show underlying features of the invention.

Fig. 2 isa view in cross section, enlarged, taken on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1, through an arrangement of the tile-locking wedges.

Fig. 3 is a View in cross section, enlarged, taken on the line 3--3 of Fig. 1 between wedges, and

through a concrete filling which overlies and embraces the wedges in the apertures between the units of an arch.

Fig. 4v is a broken, full sized View showing the manner in which the opposed faces of the units of an arch are preferably keyed to one another, to prevent leak of concrete between the units to the bottom of the arch, and for other purposes.V `Referring to the drawings, there is shown a system of open-work of yI beams Il), intended to be laid parallel to one another and at constant preselected distances, one from the other. In practice, however, due to inaccuracies arising from haste, and otherwise, these beams are often not exactly parallel to one another, and are not always at constant distances apart. These beams are commonly called junior girders, joists, and the like. In large structures they are usually supported at their ends by other and larger girders extending cross-wise thereof. So far as the present invention is concerned, it is immaterial upon what they are supported. Neither is any particular style or form of beam IIJ essential tothe practice of the invention, so long 2o' as it, or its auxiliaries, provide proper anchorage for the arches hereinafterl described.

As hereinbefore stated', and for the support of the arch units before application'of the wedges, there should be erected a temporary frameV work comprising planks `9, see Fig. 2, which follow the lines of the intended joints between opposed faces of the units; the upper faces of the planks being in the plane which is to define the bottom of the flooring. This temporary framework will hereinafter be more fully described.

In the drawings, each arch II is shown as cornprised of two blocks or units I2 and I3. There may, however, be more thanV two units in each arch. Each unit, at one end thereof, abuts one of the beams I0; and, in that face of the unit which so abuts a beam, is a slot I4 into which protrudes oneA of the lower angcs I 5 of the beam, to support the unit at one end thereof.

At their other ends, the faces IE and Il of the units, resting on planks 9, oppose one another. In the embodiment of the invention shown The clearance 2| between the units is shown asV continued vertically downward at 22 to the under faces 23 and 24 of the units, and these under faces are flush with each other in the plane yof the top surface Vof the plank 9. The clearances ZIV and 22 permit of preliminary lateral adjustments of the units I2 and I3 with respect to each other, and with respect to the beams IB which support This key, see Fig. 4, consists of a bead the same; and also permit of the units being rocked down, form a slightly tipped position, to the top of the plank 9. The clearance 22 also has the important function of providing key-ways for anyplastering which may be applied to the under face of the flooring; that is to say, plaster will enter the clearances 22 in the plastering operation in the form of protrusions which serve as keysto anchor the plaster surfacing to the flooring. Y

Referring to Figs. 2 and 3, it will be seen that below the lower flanges I5 of the beams I0 there is a clearance 25 between the unit I2 of one arch and the unit 25 ofthe next preceding arch, and

a clearance 27 between arch unit I3 and the unit l28 of the next succeeding arch. These clearances 25.1and 21 permit .of lateral adjustment of the arch units with vrespectto thebeams I0; and, in order that there may be full Aprovision for such adjustment, those faces 29 of the units which oppose the beams, are held clear of the beams at 30" by engagement of the beam flanges. I5 with the inner end walls of the slots I4 in the units, eventhough the units have been set as far as possibley onto the beam flanges. In this connection, it will be noted vthat the beam flanges I5 and slots I4 are of a depth to permit of some lateral adjustment of the units with respect to the beams, While still maintaining a beam support for the units. 'I'he clearances 25 andV 21 also serve, as do the clearances 22, as means whereby to key a plaster kor other ceiling to the under face of the ooring.

'Ihe foregoing various provisions for a limited play of the units with respect to each other, and with respect to the beams, are to accommodate the arches to any irregularities which may occur in spacing. or positioning of the beams; andalso to facilitate the laying of the'units by permitting the sameto' be set to the beams while slightly tipped, and thereafter to berocked down to home position on the plank 9. In this last connection, it will be noted that the slots I4' are shown in Figs. 2 and 3as of tapered cross section; thus not nly'facilitating the placement "of the umts on the beam flanges, but also allowing of the slight rocking movement aforesaid. v

The 'units I2 and'I3,"having been rst set'onto the beams Ill and planks 9, wedges 30 are driven down tightly into the apertures'forrned by the opposed, inclined faces I6 and II. As the wedges engage the faces of the units, they press the units laterally toward the beams until further lateral movement of the units is arrested by engagement of the beam flanges with the inner ends of slots I4, and the units are tight to the beams. This done, the wedges act as blocks to prevent any relative movement or collapse of the arch elements, and are themselves securely held in place by friction. The arches arethen effective to'present a flooring which will support all loads to which it maybe subjected during further building operations, and the planks 9 and temporary struc,y

ture may be removed.

e The wedges may be of wood or other suitable material, and their size, number and positioningv are widely variable. One or more may be used at each joint in an arch; and, on the other hand, one wedge may be so positioned as to serve two adjoining arches. 'Ihe wedges instead of conforming in shape to the inclined opposed faces of the units, may be of any desired shape. A wedge may consist merely of a bar or plate having the ends thereof set'against the opposed units. In this latter form, the Wedge acts'as a spacer to prevent collapse of the units toward one another, and so maintains the arch structure.

' It is in this comprehensive sense that the terml wedge is used inthe claims of this application. It'will also be understood that, within the scope of certain of the claims, the inclined or wedge engaging surfaces may be other than as shown in the drawings. The apertures for the Wedges may be `mere pockets in the opposing faces of the units; and the wedges may, in certain instances, even be inserted from the bottom of the flooring, suitable apertures therefor having been first provided.

It is not intended that the wedges be relied upon indenat'ely to maintain the arches.

the course of time they may work loose or decay. In'any event it is desirable to fill the apertures over` and around the wedges. Such filler will protect the wedges and eliminate gaps in the flooring. So, in some instances, a filler may be used which has no cohesiveness, as for instance, sand. Ordinarily,v however, it is desirable that the ller act as va bond between the opposed units, and for such purpose a light concrete is an admirable filler. Such a filler of concrete, poured or tamped into the apertures formed by the inclined, opposed faces I6 and I'I of units I2 and I3 is shown at 3I in Fig. 3. Fillers such as 3l, furthermore, when set and hardened, serve as wedges much more extensive and powerful than the wedges 30, to lock the arch against collapse. In accordance with the present invention, the ller may be applied at any time after the planks 9 have been removed.

Concrete made in situ by present day methods commonly comes from the mixer in highly fluid condition; and hence the desirability of a key, such as shown at I9-20 at the bottom of the aperture formed by the inclines IB-I'I, to block flow of such fluid concrete through the bottom of the arch. The clearances 2I and 22 around the key elements are sufliciently narrow to choke the flow of concrete.

As shown in Fig. 3, light concrete, indicated at 32, is preferably poured and tamped around the beams I and against the opposed faces 29 of the units, to fill the spaces between beams and units down to the lower flanges I of the beams. As hereinbefore stated, the faces 29 of the units are so shaped as to provide ample space for such ilow and tamping of the concrete, not only down to the beam flanges I 5, but also around the upper anges 32 of the beams, and against the under faces of such upper flanges and the webs 34 of the beams; thus providing a continuous bond for the tile units to the beams, from the points of support of the tiles on the beams, to the tops of the tiles, and over the top flanges of the beams to provide proper fireproong for the latter.

The llers 3| and 32 may not extend above the tops of the tiles. lIn this event a layer of cinder or grout mayor may not be spread over tiles and beams, for embedment therein of pipe lines, etc., and a finishing surface placed on top of this layer. However, it is commonly desirable, not only to fill with concrete all spaces between opposing tiles,

and between tiles and beams, but also to surface the whole with a layer of concrete. In such case the concrete layer may preferably be poured and tamped so a's to be unitary with the concrete fillers 3| and 32.

' When a concrete surfacing 33 is made unitary with a concrete filler 3|, a slab of remarkable strength for its weight is had. The effect is that of a system of light concrete T bars running at right angles to a system of hollow tile arches. In such a systemv of concrete T bars, hollow tiles have heretofore been used as fillers. Here, however, the tile units are interconnected to form a system of arches strong enough in themselves for all ordinary loads. The strength of the concrete T bar system is here added to that of the tile arch system. The fillers 32 may of course form with the surfacing 33 other concrete T bars, in which the beams I0 act as metal reinforcements. i When a concrete surfacing is present in the invention, it is obvious that the arch blocks serve as self-supporting and permanent forms for the concrete. Ordinarily, therefore, the concrete may beofa lean mix, and of little or no strength.

Such concrete may be laidover the blocks to a height sufficient to embedand cover conduits, and to provide proper fireproong for the girders.

The planks may be supported by shoring or. otherwise. Since the same are removable as soon as the Wedges are placed, they may be shifted at once and used by the Workmen in the laying of a succeeding section of` flooring. Here'- tofore, in the laying of certain styles of slab flooring, no such scaffolding has been available to workmen, and they have had to work slowly and tediously in dangerous positions on the girders;

I claim:

l. In a slab flooring, a system of beams, a system of arches extending from one to another of said beams in a common plane therewith and in end-engagement with the beams for support thereon preliminary to concrete fill around the beams, each of said arches comprising a plurality of hollow tiles or blocks set with a closed face of one opposed to a closed face of another, suchV opposed faces in any one arch being so shaped and sety with respect to each other as to form of themselves between them a trough openy at the top, closed at the bottom, and of width enough to receive a ll of w-et and unset concrete in mass suiiicient, after due allowance for absorption of water therefrom by the tiles, to

form a durable and cohesive concrete unit, and

such a unit of concrete in each arch, bonding such opposed tilesy therein and providing the compression strength of concrete against collapse of the arch.

2. In a slab flooring, a system of beams, a system of arches extending from one to another of said. beams in av common plane therewith andI in end-engagement with the beams for support thereon preliminary to concrete fill around the beams, each of said arches comprising a plurality of hollow tiles or blocks set with a closed face of one opposed to a closed facev of another, such opposed faces in any one arch being so shaped and set with respect to each other as to form of themselves a trough open at the top, and closed at the bottom, wedges in said trough jammed between said tiles and locking the tiles to one another and to the beams so as to provide a flooring of rload capacity such 'that concrete may be laid by workmen thereon after removal therefrom of tile-supporting scaffolding', the trough being of Width enough to receive around said wedges Wet and unset concrete in mass suflicient after due allowance for absorption of water therefrom by the tiles, to form a durable and cohesive concrete unit, and such a unit of concrete in each arch bonding such opposed tiles therein and providing the compressive strength of concrete, in re-inforcement of said wedges, against collapse of the arch.

3. In a slab flooring, asystem of beams, a system of arches extending from one to another of said beams in a common plane therewith and in end-engagement with the beams for support thereon preliminary to concrete fill around the beams, each of said arches comprising a plurality of hollow tiles or blocks set with a closed face of one opposed to a closed face of another, such opposed faces in any one arch being so shaped and set with respect to each other as to form of themselves between them, from the tops of the tiles downward, a trough of width enough to receive a fill of wet and unset concrete in massV suiiicient, after due allowance for absorption of,

water therefrom. by the tiles, to form a durable andV vcohesive concrete unit', andl such a unit of concrete in each arch bonding such opposed tiles therein and providing the compression strength of concrete against collapse ofthe arch, and a layer of concrete over the tiles forming with the aforesaid concrete Vill a monolith. off T beam cross-section'. L

4. In a slab flooring, a system of metal beams, a system of arches extending from one to another of said beams in a common plane therewith and in end-engagement with the beams for support thereon preliminary to concrete ll around the'beams, each of Vsaid arches comprising a plurality of hollowtilesor blocks having'means for adjustable engagement with said beams and being set with'a closed face of one opposed to a closed face of another, such opposed faces in any one archbeing so shaped' and set with respect to each other as to form of themselves between them, from the tops ofthe tiles downward, a trough of width enough to receive a fill of wet and unset concrete in mass suiiicint, after duey allowance for absorption of Water therefromv by the tiles,` to form a durable and cohesive concrete unit, and, such a unit of con'- cretein each arch, bonding such opposed tiles therein and providing the compressive strength of concrete against collapse of the arch, said tiles at` the faces thereofopposed to the metal beams-having interlockmentwith the metal beams near they base thereof, and above said interlockments being inclined broadly away from theV metal beams, and a Viill of concrete between theY metalV beams and said inclined opposed" tile face bonding the tile tothe metal beam to make thereof a're-inforced concrete beam.

5. In a slab flooring, a system of beams, a system of arches extending from one to'another of said beams in a common plane therewith and in end-engagementl with the beams forl support thereon preliminary to concrete fill around the beams, each of said arches comprising a plurality of hollow tiles or blocks set with a face of one'opposed to a face of another, such opposed faces in any one arch being so Vshaped and set with respect to each other as together to formY of themselves from the tops of the blocks downward a mold, closed at its bottom, for a concrete beam running crosswise of the arches between said end-supporting beams, said 'molds in successive arches between thesame end-supporting beams being in alignment to accommodate such concrete beam, and a beam, formedvof concrete poured and set in such aligned molds, bonded to the opposed faces of the arch blocks and supporting the arches along lines intermediate said end-supporting beams. Y

6. A slab ooringof the characterI stated in claim 5, having a layer of Yconcreterover the arches forming a monolithv with the concrete beam. 1

7. A ooring as set forth in claim'5, having the bases of the tiles` juxtaposed and aligned under said concrete beams to form, one tile withv another, an all-tile ceiling surface for plaster# ing or other finish, continuous except for slightly open joints where one tile opposes another.

8. In a slab flooring, a system of beams, aV system of arches extending from one to anotherl of said beams in a common plane therewith and' in end-engagement `with the beams forA support thereon, eachvof said arches comprising a plurality of hollow tiles or blocks so set with re-Y spect to each other as to form of themselves a trough open atthe top, closed' at its bottom, andv collapse of the arch; the bases of the tiles being juxtaposed and aligned under said concrete units to form, one tile with another, an all-tile ceiling surface, continuous except for slightly open joints Where one tile opposes another.

THEODORE BARBATO. 

